Catz Club: Political Parties

Francis Maude: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission whether the Electoral Commission plans to investigate donations made by Catz Club to political parties following the announcement of a statutory inquiry by the Charity Commission into previously undisclosed payments.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has considered two donations made to the Labour party by Catz club, a permissible donor under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. Both donations arose from payments made by Catz club to attend Labour party events. A proportion of the payments met the costs of the services provided at the event, and a proportion was a donation to the party.
	On the basis of information available, the Electoral Commission concluded that the figure used by the party for the cost of services provided in each instance was reasonable, and that there was no breach of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.

Air Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times the UK has breached European Union air quality  (a) particulate,  (b) sulphur dioxide,  (c) lead and  (d) carbon monoxide limits in each year since they were introduced; and what steps the European Commission has taken in each case.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Under EU legislation, the UK is required to monitor the air for levels of particulate matter (PM10), and to report to the European Commission on an annual basis. The UK also reports modelled data, in accordance with the legislation.
	For the purposes of implementing EU legislation the UK is divided up into 43 agglomeration zones (areas with a contiguous population of over 250,000 as specified by the air quality directives) and non-agglomeration zones. There are 28 agglomeration zones and 15 non-agglomeration zones.
	The UK has not reported any breaches of EU limit values for lead or carbon monoxide since they were introduced. A breach of the sulphur dioxide limits was modelled and reported to the European Commission in 2005 and 2006, in the eastern zone close to a brick works in Stewartby. The European Commission requested information on action being taken to address the breaches, and, on the basis of the UK response, there has been no further correspondence. Breaches have not been reported subsequently and the brickworks has now closed.
	Like most other member states, the UK has reported a number of breaches of the limits for particulates (PM10) since they came into force in 2005. There has been correspondence between the Commission and many other member states on these breaches. Most recently the Commission wrote to the UK Government and a number of other member states in January in relation to breaches since 2006 in the absence of a Time Extension Notification seeking additional time to meet the limit value. The UK has since submitted a time extension notification for the relevant zones/agglomerations as provided for under the Ambient Air Quality Directive (2008/50/EC). Details of breaches reported since 2005 are set out in the PM10 Time Extension Notification application which can be accessed using the following link:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/eu-int/eu-directives/airqual-directives/notification.htm

Bees: Public Consultation

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to consult bee keepers and other bee enthusiasts on the development of his Department's national bee health strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The 'Healthy Bees' plan was developed with beekeeping associations and other interested parties and was launched on 9 March. Strengthened partnership working between these parties is vital to the success of the plan. My officials will therefore shortly be discussing the implementation of the plan with key beekeeping representatives in order to secure a sustainable way forward.
	DEFRA has allocated new resources for the bee health programme to fund the implementation of the plan. On top of its current £1.3 million, an additional £1.137 million will be provided to the National Bee Unit in the financial year 2009-10 and £1.158 million in 2010-11 to implement the first stage of the plan.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate has been made of the proportion of personal computers in each of his Department's offices that are turned off  (a) overnight,  (b) at weekends and  (c) during holiday periods; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA is nearing completion of a programme to roll-out new Energy Star compliant Vista laptops and desktops to its staff in Core DEFRA and those agencies/NDPBs taking all their desktop services from IBM (including Animal Health, Natural England and Marine and Fisheries Agency), a total of some 7,000 staff.
	These new devices deploy Vista's inbuilt group policy options to enforce a default switch to the Vista 'sleep' (which drops the device to a low power setting) and then 'hibernate' standby modes (which encrypts the data and then switches off the machine) after pre-set periods of inactivity.
	On completion of this roll-out in the summer, all devices in these DEFRA organisations will therefore be switched off overnight, at weekends and over holiday periods.
	No central information is currently available as to the position with DEFRA's other agencies and NDPBs.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) printers and  (b) multi-function devices with printing functions were in use in each division of his Department in each of the last five years; how many such devices had a function enabling two-sided printing; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are no figures available for the Department for the period 2004 to 2006.
	In 2007 a printer consolidation exercise was undertaken for the core Department and those of its agencies taking desktop services from the Department's strategic supplier IBM (some 4,500 staff). As a result:
	2,044 printers were removed for disposal
	601 multi-function devices were installed with duplex settings
	749 existing printers with duplex and standby power modes were redeployed.
	Total printers deployed: 1,350—all enabled with duplex printing.
	As these printers are all shared over the network there is no breakdown available by division, nor are figures available yet for 2008.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) BlackBerrys and  (b) other mobile telephones have been provided to (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department in each year since 2005.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA procures BlackBerry Services and Mobile Phones via two different arrangements.
	1. In the case of BlackBerry Services, these are provided through the IBM contract. DEFRA is unable to provide a breakdown of past usage of BlackBerry Services as this would require a manual trawl of historical data that would incur disproportionate cost. We have shown the usage figures for March 2009 for the core-Department for information as an indication of current usage:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Ministers 2 
			 Special advisers 2 
			 Civil servants (1)269 
			 (1) Figure relates to civil servants in core-Department only. 
		
	
	2. In the case of mobile phones, these are purchased via OGC's Mobile Solutions contract. DEFRA is unable to provide the data at the level of detail requested for historical data. The total number of connections for the core-Department and a breakdown for March 2009 data is included in the following table:
	
		
			  Total connections( 1) 
			   Number 
			 2006 1,760 
			 2007 1,153 
			 2008 822 
			 2009 629 
			   
			  March 2009 breakdown:  
			 Ministers 1 
			 Special advisers 0 
			 Civil servants (2)628 
			 (1) Figures based on connections during the year from historical reports in December 2006, October 2007, December 2008, April 2009. Data from 2005 not readily available at proportionate cost. (2) Figure is based on assumption that civil servants equals end users i.e. civil servants and contractors working in the Department. 
		
	
	Breakdown of historical data could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Litter

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) prosecutions have been made and  (b) fixed penalty notices were issued by each local authority in West Sussex for (i) dropping of litter and (ii) dog fouling in each of the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The information requested is as follows:
	 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs)
	The following table shows the figures on FPNs issued by each local authority in West Sussex for the dropping of litter and dog fouling. The figures are for the period 2006-07, the last year for which stats are available.
	
		
			   Litter  Dog Fouling 
			   FPNs Issued  FPNs Issued 
			 Adur 3 — 
			 Arun 10 4 
			 Chichester 1 2 
			 Crawley 95 5 
			 Horsham 1 — 
			 Mid Sussex — — 
			 Worthing — — 
			  Source:  Annual data provided by all English local authority districts to DEFRA. 
		
	
	 Prosecutions
	Court proceedings data held by the Ministry of Justice for the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for the offences dropping of litter and dog fouling in Sussex police force area for 2005-07 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Data held centrally cannot be further broken down to local authority level, thus Sussex police force area data has been provided in lieu.
	These data are on the principal offence basis. The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the on for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Court proceedings data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts for littering and dog fouling offences in Sussex police force area, 2005-07 
			  Sussex police force area  Proceeded against 
			  Offence  2005  2006  2007 
			 Littering — 1 1 
			 Dog fouling — 1 1 
			  Notes: 1 Data provided on the principal offence basis. 2 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. 3 Includes offences under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Sections 87 and 94. 4 Includes the following statutes and corresponding offence descriptions: Environmental Protection Act 1990 Sec.87. Depositing litter. Environmental Protection Act 1990 Sec.94. Failing to comply with a street litter control notice. Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 Sec.3. Dog defecates on designated land and person in charge of dog fails to remove faeces from land forthwith.  Source:  OCJR - E and A: Office for Criminal Justice Reform - Evidence and Analysis Unit

Wild Boar

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  under what circumstances wild boar may be fed meat; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what precautions the Food and Environment Research Agency has put in place to prevent the spread of disease among wild boar populations which are fed meat.

Jane Kennedy: Wild boar cannot normally be fed meat unless it is fed for research purposes and is done in accordance with an authorisation. DEFRA has issued a general authorisation for use of animal by-products for research purposes. The Secretary of State can also issue individual authorisations and can suspend or revoke authorisations.
	Although the feeding of animal by-products to animals is a potential route of transmission of various diseases and is something that is not sanctioned in farming or domestic feeding practice, this isolated, short-term trial involving wild boar took place at a time when foot and mouth disease (FMD) and other exotic diseases were not present in GB. As such, DEFRA is confident that this particular activity did not increase the risk of introducing FMD or other exotic disease. No additional measures, beyond regular surveillance of the feral wild boar by research scientists are considered necessary.
	The Food and Environment Research Agency does not currently feed any meat to any wild boar populations. In January 2009, as part of the agency's research on managing wild boar populations, meat was used at a single research site.

House of Commons: Video Recordings

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission under what circumstances the House authorities may prevent  (a) a live video link to a meeting at the parliamentary estate from being made and  (b) a meeting from being held on the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: The House authorities are guided by the regulations for the use of committee, conference, meeting and interview rooms which are approved by the Administration Committee and set out in the leaflet entitled "Committee Rooms, Conference, Meeting and Interview Rooms" which is available through the Members' Centre, attendants at reception desks and on the intranet. The regulations give guidance on the purposes for which Members may book these rooms. Within these regulations it is possible for Members to invite others to participate in meetings, either in person or via video link.
	It is the responsibility of a Member who holds a meeting to ensure that the purpose for which the room has been booked is within the regulations.

Departmental Rail Travel

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance his Department issues on whether members of staff may claim for travel in first class carriages on trains if there are no seats in standard class.

Ann McKechin: Office guidance on rail travel requires staff to book tickets through a contracted travel agent. This is in order to ensure that the best value for money is achieved through taking full advantage of advance bookings and discounts for fixed time departures. Staff, who usually travel in standard class would be permitted to upgrade to first class, if no standard seats were available, at their manager's discretion. It would be for individual line managers to assess the relative cost of staff travelling first class against the importance and nature of the journey in relation to the Office's business.
	All travel is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

Cultural Heritage: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the World Collections programme since its inception; and on which activities.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 30 April 2009
	The World Collections Programme has received funding of £1 million to date.
	This funding has been distributed among the six partners in the programme—the British Museum, the British Library, Tate, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. World Collections Programme funding has been allocated to meet the aims and objectives of the programme, and has either funded projects delivered in challenging environments or has provided the initial money to develop strategic international partnerships.
	It has contributed funding towards the following activity since it began on 1 April 2008.
	 Middle  E ast :
	 World Ceramics at the Pera Museum, Istanbul
	The fourth leg of a V and A touring exhibition of ceramic material ordinarily displayed in the permanent galleries at South Kensington (which are being refurbished).
	 Museum Management seminar, Damascus
	To coincide with the World Ceramics exhibition in Damascus, the World Collections Programme partners held a four-day museum management seminar in Damascus with curators from Syria, Jordan and Palestine.
	 Middle Eastern Contemporary Art
	A Tate-led research and relationship-building exercise between UK partners and artists and contemporary art institutions across the middle east. This exercise has included UK staff visits to the middle east (including to Kabul); a two-day seminar on the subject at Tate which involved artists, curators and museum professionals from a number of countries including Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Israel and the Gulf states; and seminars to bring together artists, curators and museum professionals in Sharjah and Dubai.
	 Digital photographic exhibition at the National Museum, Kabul
	The World Collections Programme (led by the British Library) is developing a sustainable exhibition of digital copies of photographic images held in the archives of the six partner institutions. A British Library curator will also write labels and an exhibition guide (all will be translated into Pashtu). The digital images will be printed and mounted in situ in Kabul to share skills, and digital copies of all images in the exhibition given to the National Museum, Kabul.
	 India :
	 Indian Life and Landscapes
	A V and A-led touring exhibition to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Mumbai and the Mehrangarh Fort, Jodphur. The World Collections Programme also enabled the inclusion of a public programme, dual-language exhibition materials, and skills sharing and capacity building in exhibition display at the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodphur.
	 Capacity building with the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad
	A V and A-led staff exchange to develop a partnership focused on joint exhibitions and conservation projects.
	 British Library in India
	Digitisation of a selection of the India Office records held at the British Library, and a relationship-building visit to three cities in India to develop partnerships between the six organisations in the World Collections Programme and Indian institutions.
	 Mewar Ramayana manuscript
	Digitally reuniting the Mewar Ramayana manuscript which is held in four institutions—the British Library, CSMVS Mumbai, Baroda Museum and the Rajastan Oriental Institute.
	 Numismatic collections
	Development of a series of internships for colleagues in academic institutions in south Asia to study the numismatic collections at the British Museum.
	 Natural History Museum and the National Natural History Museum, New Delhi
	The World Collections Programme is funding the initial development of a partnership between these two organisations.
	 Africa:
	 National Museums Kenya
	A series of initiatives to develop a partnership with National Museums Kenya. This has included a joint project to enhance the cultural heritage storage facilities at the Nairobi Museum, enable staff exchanges between London and Nairobi, and develop a partnership between the Nairobi Museum and the Natural History Museum.
	 African Sound Archives
	A joint project between the British Library and Kenyan National Archives to use the African heritage sound archives held at the British Library and, for the first time, use the audio-visual archives at the Kenyan National Archives. This project will make the archives available to public, provide new input into the British Library collection and assist in the development of the Nairobi-based collection.
	 National Museum, Addis Ababa
	A British Museum-led programme to collaborate with the National Museum in Addis Ababa through the delivery of training in Addis Ababa on the subjects of gallery management, exhibition display and textile conservation.
	 Development of a partnership with the Institute of Ethiopian Studies
	Funding a number of activities involving the British Museum, V and A, British Library and Institute of Ethiopian Studies to develop greater access to the UK-based Ethiopian collections for UK and Ethiopian audiences and the academic community. This has included staff exchanges and the provision of a digitised manuscript for the Institute of Ethiopian Studies.
	 Money in Africa
	Developing links between numismatic collections in the UK and Africa through a number of activities including digitisation of the British Museum's East African coin collection and making this available to African institutions as research and display aids; a capacity building exercise to develop skills in mounting, display and cataloguing with museums in Axum and Addis Ababa; and assistance with training at the Iziko Museums in South Africa.
	 African Digital Plants Resources
	RBG Kew is working to enhance collections-based digital resources relevant to African plant diversity in response to demands from stakeholders and specific feedback concerning existing resources. Main outputs will be a range of user friendly and attractive online 'species pages' for Africa, digitisation and analysis of African specimen information for selected species of conservation concern, and support for capacity building activities requested by African partners.
	 China :
	 Royal Botanical Gardens Kew and China Seed Bank
	Royal Botanical Gardens Kew worked in partnership with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop the China Seed Bank, which opened in Kunming in October 2008.
	 Natural History Museum and the Geological Museum of China, Beijing
	The World Collections Programme is funding the initial development of a partnership between these two organisations.
	 Internships with the International Dunhuang Project
	A series of internships for colleagues from Indian and Chinese institutions to work with the International Dunhuang Project.
	 Multi-country projects :
	 International Training Programme
	UK-based British Museum-led six-week training programme for 24 international curators, artists and museum professionals to work with specialist staff at the World Collections Programme institutions and also develop skills in the basics of museum management. This project also involves Tyne and Wear Museums, Lincoln—The Collection, Manchester Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery, Glasgow Museums, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery and the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff. The World Collections Programme has provided funding for the 2008 and forthcoming 2009 training programmes.
	 Developing multi-lingual access to the collections :
	The World Collections Programme is providing funding to develop access to the collections in languages other than English.
	 Administration :
	 World Collections Programme co-ordinator
	The programme funds a part-time post, based at the British Museum, to co-ordinate and manage the programme.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what his most recent estimate is of his Department's capital expenditure in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10,  (c) 2010-11 and  (d) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his most recent estimate is of his Department's resource expenditure in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10,  (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The data in table C11 of Budget 2009 give the Capital and Resource Departmental Expenditure Limits (DEL) for Estimated Outturn for 2008-09 and Plans for 2009-10 and 2010-11 in £ billions as follows:
	
		
			  £ billion 
			   Resource DEL  Capital DEL 
			 2008-09 Estimated outturn 1.6 0.8 
			 2009-10 Plans 1.7 0.4 
			 2010-11 Plans 1.7 0.6 
		
	
	We currently do not hold any data relating to 2011-12.
	The latest figures for Resource and Capital expenditure will be available in the Main Estimate and Supplementary Budget Information tables. These are normally published five weeks after the budget.

Digital Technology: Conferences

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost to his Department was of hosting the Digital Britain Summit on 17 April 2009; and who attended the summit.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 29 April 2009
	The DCMS contribution to the cost of the Digital Britain Summit was £20,000.
	I am arranging for copies of the list of attendees to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Gambling Commission: Expenditure

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was paid in  (a) salary and  (b) bonus to the (i) chairman, (ii) chief executive, (iii) deputy chief executive, (iv) director of operations, (v) director of policy and communications, (vi) director of corporate services and (vii) director of licensing and compliance at the Gambling Commission in 2008-09.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 28 April 2009
	The table sets out the salary payments (to the nearest pound) made by the Gambling Commission for the posts listed in 2008-09.
	A total of £59,878 was also paid in bonuses for this period but it is not appropriate to provide the specific amounts paid to individuals.
	
		
			  Post  Notes  Salary (£) 
			 Chairman The post of Chairman are not pensionable. 65,975 
			 Chief Executive The post of Chief Executive are not pensionable. 144,953 
			 Deputy Chief Executive — 49,637 
			 Director of Operations This post became Director of Regulation from 1 November 2008. The figures are inclusive of both posts. 93,328 
			 Director of Policy and Communications To 31 October 2008. 42,978 
			 Director of Corporate Services — 95,755 
			 Director of Licensing and Compliance To 3 January 2009. 69,287

Non-profit Making Associations: Commonwealth Games 2014

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to encourage social enterprises to take up commercial opportunities arising out of the 2014 Commonwealth games.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Following the successful bid for Glasgow to host the Commonwealth games in 2014, the Organising Committee, Glasgow 2014 Ltd., is taking forward the delivery of the games. The Government welcomes any steps they take to encourage the involvement of social enterprises in accessing the commercial opportunities offered by the 2014 Commonwealth games. The Scotland Office will be taking forward two pieces of secondary legislation under the Scotland Act 1998 to facilitate the delivery of the 2014 games. These will protect the intellectual property rights of the games and prohibit ticket touting in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Sports: Training

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Community Sport coaches have been in operation in each year since 2005.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 30 April 2009
	 Sport England has advised that the Community Sports Coach scheme was initially established in April 2003, and implemented from April 2004. The headline objectives were to generate 3,000 paid professional coaches working at a local level and to increase the number and range of coaching opportunities by 2006, according to strategic and local need.
	In each year since 2005 there has been the following number of community sports coaches:
	
		
			   Number of coaches 
			 2005-06 2,978 
			 2006-07 3,335 
			 2007-08 3,063

Aviation: Disabled

Nick Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether he has had discussions with other governments about the ending of charges by airlines for passengers with pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, muscular dystrophy and other conditions who bring personal oxygen concentrators and equipment on board airlines or who use supplemental oxygen provided by the airline;
	(2)  if he will hold discussions with airlines operating from the UK to seek to end charges made on passengers with pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and muscular dystrophy who require inflight supplemental oxygen provided by the airline or by themselves;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy to ensure air passengers with pulmonary hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, muscular dystrophy and other conditions are not charged by airlines for bringing on board personal oxygen concentrators or equipment or for having supplemental oxygen provided by the airline.

Jim Fitzpatrick: European regulation 1107/2006 on the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air imposes obligations on airlines with respect to the services they provide, including an obligation to carry passengers' medical equipment free of charge. However, there are no specific obligations to carry or provide oxygen in the cabin.
	To help the air transport industry to comply with its obligations under the regulation, the Department for Transport has published an updated version of its Code of Practice "Access to Air Travel for Disabled Persons and Persons with Reduced Mobility". The code was developed with input from the Civil Aviation Authority, Health and Safety Executive, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, the Devolved Administrations and aviation industry representatives. The code includes a section on oxygen which advises that air carriers may approve the carriage of small gaseous oxygen or air cylinders required for medical use, but notes that carriers will wish to ensure that these do not pose a risk to security. The code also recommends that portable oxygen concentrator devices should normally be allowed if battery powered. Where air carriers wish to supply medical oxygen to passengers on request, the code acknowledges that it would be possible to make a charge for this service to cover the provision of the oxygen.
	This is a matter which is best addressed at a European level. The Department has raised the issue of carriage of medical oxygen with the European Commission at a recent meeting of national enforcement bodies for regulation 1107/2006. The Commission is due to review the regulation in 2010.

Exeter-Yeovil Railway Line

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will undertake an investigation of the likely effect of dualling the Exeter to Yeovil railway line on  (a) demand for services on the line,  (b) the environment and  (c) the economy of the South West.

Paul Clark: Network Rail is already doubling the track at Axminster between Exeter and Yeovil to enable more frequent services to operate. The 2006 rail industry study identified this work would suffice to meet predicted demand for services on the line up to 2017.
	The overall demand on the line will be kept under review as part of the preparation for the Government rail output requirements for 2014 to 2019 but there is no plan to undertake an early review.

Flying Matters

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on what dates since 1 January 2007  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had (i) discussions and (ii) meetings with representatives of Flying Matters.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I gave a short address to a Flying Matters round table on The Developing World, Air Freight and Climate Change on 31 March 2008. The organisation represents a broad coalition of bodies who have an interest in supporting sustainable growth in aviation, including the business community, trade unions, tourism bodies as well as airlines, airports, aerospace manufacturers and others in the industry. In the course of business Ministers regularly have meetings with stakeholders from these organisations as do officials.
	Specific official level contact with Flying Matters comprised meetings on 5 May 2007 and 5 February 2009 on a range of aviation issues and brief discussions in late 2007 and early 2008 as part of a series of regular updates to a range of stakeholders on the progress of the Climate Change Bill.

M42

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the M42 to be free of roadworks and lane closures in both directions.

Paul Clark: The current planned roadworks on the M42 are part of the roll out of the Managed Motorways programme on the motorway box around Birmingham and its approaches. They comprise the installation of ATM between junctions 7 to 9, scheduled to be completed by December 2009, and MIDAS (Motorway Incident Detection System) between junctions 9 to 11, expected to be completed by early August 2009. The work is being carried out in sections within these locations.
	It is not possible to guarantee that any motorway will be free of roadworks and lane closures as there will always be the possibility of emergency works, for example as a result of accidents or other unforeseen incidents.
	Advance warning of any work taking place will normally be available on the Highways Agency's website, the Traffic England website and on strategic signing on potentially affected approach routes, allowing road users to plan their route accordingly.

Motorcycles: Registration

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the merits of registering off-road bikes with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to reduce levels of anti-social behaviour; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: An inter-departmental group led by the Home Office is keeping the matter under review. Its remit is to consider the issues around the off-road use of mini-motos and similar vehicles and to pool knowledge of how those issues are being addressed.

Railways

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the transport priorities of regional development agencies take account of the results of consultation with transport users.

Paul Clark: Regions have the opportunity to provide advice to Government on their investment priorities for transport, housing and regeneration, and economic development through regional funding advice.
	The Government issued guidance on preparing regional funding advice in July 2008. This guidance stated that regional development agencies, regional assemblies, leaders' Forums and local government would all have a key role to play in developing the advice, and that sub-regional partners and cities should play a role in ensuring that the advice recognised the importance of developing functional economic areas. Furthermore, the guidance stated that the regional advice would be more credible if it was based on a wide consensus, and reflected the views of the broadest range of stakeholders, including the business community, social, environmental and economic partners, and the third sector. Regional partners were also encouraged to engage the public when gathering advice on regional priorities for development.

Railways

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance he has issued to  (a) local authorities and  (b) regional development agencies on mechanisms for consultation with residents and other stakeholders on rail transport strategy.

Paul Clark: We have not issued any specific guidance to either local authorities or regional development agencies on their mechanisms for consultation with residents and other stakeholders specifically on rail transport strategy. We issued draft guidance in December 2008 to local authorities on preparing local transport plans starting in 2011 which includes consultation on local transport generally.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what major improvements have been made to the UK road network in the last 12 months.

Paul Clark: The Highways Agency completed the following major road improvements in England during the financial year 2008-09.
	
		
			  Name of scheme  County  Completed 
			 A590 High and Low Newton Bypass Lancashire April 2008 
			 A66 Long Newton Junction County Durham May 2008 
			 M25 J1b-3 Widening (Section 3) Kent July 2008 
			 A27 Southerham to Beddingham Improvement Sussex August 2008 
			 A14 Haughley New St—Stowmarket Improvement Suffolk September 2008 
			 M27 J11-J12 Climbing Lanes Hampshire September 2008 
			 M6 Carlisle to Guardsmill Extension Cumbria December 2008 
			 M62 Junction 6 Improvement Merseyside December 2008 
			 A595 Parton—Lillyhall Improvement Cumbria December 2008 
			 A38 Dob-walls Bypass Cornwall December 2008 
			 M1 Junction 6a to 10 Widening Hertfordshire December 2008 
			 M27 J3 To J4 Widening Hampshire January 2009 
			 A5117/A550 Deeside Park Junctions Improvement Cheshire March 2009 
			 A2 Bean—Cobham Phase 2 Pepperhill—Cobham Kent February 2009 
			 A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass Northumberland March 2009 
			 A419 Blunsdon Bypass Wiltshire March 2009 
		
	
	Local highway authorities in England completed the following major road improvements during the financial year 2008-09:
	
		
			  Name of scheme  Local/regional authority  Completed 
			 Ridgmont Bypass and Woburn Link Road Bedfordshire CC June 2008 
			 Tunstall Northern Bypass Stoke City Council July 2008 
			 Darlington Eastern Transport Corridor Darlington City Council August 2008 
			 A631 West Bawtry Road Improvements Rotherham MBC September 2008 
			 Glasshoughton Coal Fields Link Road Wakefield MBC October 2008 
			 A688 Wheatley Hill to Bowburn Link Durham CC October 2008 
			 Brierley Hill Access Network Dudley MBC October 2008 
			 Leeds Inner Ring Road,  Stage 7 Leeds City Council November 2008 
			 A6096 Ilkeston to Awsworth Link Road Derbyshire CC December 2008 
			 Upperton Road Viaduct Major Maintenance Scheme Leicester City Council December 2008 
			 East Leeds Link Road, Leeds Leeds City Council February 2009 
			 Scarborough Integrated Transport Scheme North Yorkshire CC February 2009 
			 A47 Earl Shilton Bypass Leicestershire County Council March 2009 
			 North West Taunton Package Somerset County Council March 2009 
			 A386 Northern Corridor Plymouth City Council March 2009 
		
	
	There are also a number of other major schemes by the Highway Agency and local highway authorities which are in construction or are due to commence this year.
	In addition to the major schemes given above, a number of minor improvement schemes (under £5 million) were completed during the financial year 2008-09 by the Highways Agency and local highway authorities on roads for which they have responsibility.
	Responsibility for the road networks in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is devolved to the Department of the Environment in Northern Ireland, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Transport: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the proportion of children travelling to school by car in the Torbay local authority area; and what steps he is taking to encourage alternative means of transport.

Paul Clark: Data collected by schools in the Torbay area via the School Census in January 2008 showed that 35.5 per cent. of children normally travelled to school by car; this included 2.9 per cent. of children who travelled in a car with children from another family.
	The Government wants as many children as possible to walk, cycle or use public transport to travel to school. In 2003, we launched the "Travelling to School" project setting out how we want all schools in England to develop a school travel plan in order to reduce car use for journey to school and allow many more children to take regular exercise. By 2010 more than £140 million will have been committed to support the project through local authority school travel advisers and capital grants to help schools implement their travel plans.
	92 per cent. of schools in Torbay already have an active school travel plan and the Council is on target for every school to have a plan by March 2010. In addition Torbay Council have in 2008-09 been awarded a total of £6,500 in Walking to School Initiative grants, together with funding in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 for cycle training for 1000 children in total.

Departmental Computers

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laptop computers have been provided to  (a) Ministers,  (b) special advisers and  (c) civil servants in her Department in each year since 2005; and at what cost.

Phil Woolas: Information regarding the breakdown of laptops between Ministers, special advisers and civil servants is not held centrally and to get this information would be at a disproportional cost.

Departmental Data Protection

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies confidential data have been downloaded onto compact discs (i) without and (ii) with encryption in the last 12 months.

Phil Woolas: We do not hold this data and to obtain it would involve disproportionate costs. We are not aware of any loss of confidential data from compact discs in the last 12 months.

Departmental ICT

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average server capacity utilisation by each division of her Department was in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office operates a large scale, multi vendor supply chain delivering a wide range of ICT categories. Service capacity utilisation and the number of printers and multi-functional devices with printer capability are managed by our suppliers as part of the service offering. The information requested by the hon. Member is not therefore available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the Home Office is working towards a ratio of one printer per 20 people and work is underway to review and rationalise data centres and to convert network printers to duplex capability where practicable.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on  (a) the purchase of and  (b) bills for (i) BlackBerrys and (ii) other mobile telephones for (A) Ministers, (B) special advisers and (C) civil servants in her Department in each year since 2005.

Phil Woolas: BlackBerrys and other mobile telephone devices are supplied through our IT service providers.
	Call and data charges for UKBA users of BlackBerrys are approximately £7,800 (including VAT) per quarter. The remainder of call and data charges for BlackBerrys are sent directly to each business area and to get this information would be at a disproportional cost.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) BlackBerrys and  (b) other mobile telephones have been provided to (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in her Department in each year since 2005.

Phil Woolas: Information regarding the breakdown of BlackBerrys and other mobile telephones between Ministers, special advisers and civil servants is not held centrally and to get this information would be at a disproportionate cost.

Immigration: Somalia

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somali citizens are seeking  (a) asylum and  (b) leave to remain; and how many have been (i) granted indefinite leave to remain and (ii) deported in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 April 2009
	An integral issue in asylum policy is that claimed national citizenship and actual citizenship are often different.
	The number of Somali nationals currently seeking asylum is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
	Management information indicates that as at 6 April 2009, there are 1,660 claimed Somali nationals who currently have outstanding applications for limited leave to remain in the UK. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and may be subject to change. The figure has been rounded to the nearest five.
	The following table shows the numbers of Somali nationals granted settlement in each year from 1997 to 2007, and Somali nationals removed or departed voluntarily from the UK in each year from 1997 to 2008. Published settlement data by nationality for 2008 are not currently available; this information is due to be published in August 2009.
	National Statistics on asylum applications, including grants and refusals, grants of settlement and removals and voluntary departures from the UK are published in Chapters 3, 5 and 6 respectively of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom annual bulletins. Copies of these publications are available from the Library of the House and the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1008.pdf
	
		
			  Grants of settlement, removals and voluntary departures, nationals of Somalia, 1997 to 2008 
			  Number of grants/departures 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007( 1)  2008( 1) 
			 Grants of settlement 985 2,945 3,180 12,495 8,405 10,000 6,305 3,825 8,255 2,125 2,845 n/a 
			 Removals and voluntary departures(2, 3, 4) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 610 840 920 295 205 
			  Of  which: 
			 asylum cases, principal(5, 6) 50 40 n/a n/a 25 50 55 160 115 205 120 75 
			 asylum cases, dependants(5) n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 15 20 15 5 5 
			 non-asylum cases n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 435 705 700 170 120 
			 (1 )Provisional figures. (2 )Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (3 )Includes persons departing voluntarily after notifying the UK Border Agency of their intention to leave prior to their departure, since January 1999 persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration and since January 2005 persons who it has been established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (4 )Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (5 )Persons who had sought asylum at some stage. (6 )Data for 1998 and 2001 to 2003 have been estimated due to data quality issues.

Passports: Concessions

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pensioners have received a free passport in each year since the introduction of the policy.

Shahid Malik: The introduction of free passports was announced on 19 May 2004 as a special concession for the second world war generation. Those who qualify are British nationals born on or before 2 September 1929 and therefore were old enough by the end of the war to have made a substantial contribution to the national effort.
	The scheme also included for a refund to be available on request to those that were eligible but applied for a passport in the period between 19 May 2004 (the date the Home Secretary announced the scheme) and 18 October (the implementation date of the scheme). Up until 31 March 2009, 18,897 refunds have been applied for and processed under this provision and are included in the volumes shown.
	For each financial year from May 2004 until the end of March 2009, the following volumes of free passports were issued:
	
		
			  Financial year  Volume issued 
			 2004-05 121,444 
			 2005-06 157,229 
			 2006-07 127,820 
			 2007-08 109,655 
			 2008-09 82,034

Vetting: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many under-18 year olds had Criminal Records Bureau checks in 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: From April 2008 to February 2009, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) has issued 122,461 Disclosures to applicants under the age of 18 years. Of these, 112,9933 were Enhanced Disclosures and 9,528 were Standard Disclosures.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many former members of the armed forces who have applied for re-enlistment in the last 12 months are awaiting a decision; what the longest period an applicant has waited for a decision in the last five years is; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: Between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2009, the Royal Navy received 1,001 Rating or RM Other Rank applications from former UK Military personnel including RN, Army, RAF and former Reservists. Of these, 67 are still outstanding; 44 of which are awaiting routine requests for information on pay from the other services and 23 are pending resolution of medical queries. In the same period, there were 11 re-entrant officer applications; eight of these applicants have already re-entered service. Of the balance, one has yet to accept a job offer, one is awaiting a medical and the third's application is still being processed.
	In the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, the Army Personnel Centre completed 2,911 applications for re-enlistment. A further 1,226 applications made during that period are still pending.
	During financial year 2008-09, there were a total of 42 ex-service personnel who applied to join the RAF, 16 of whom are still waiting for a final decision. Of these 16, eight are Officers (five are waiting for training places while the remaining three are still going through the selection process) and eight are Other Ranks (all waiting for training places).
	In the Army, during the period 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2009, the longest period an applicant has had to wait for re-enlistment is two years 115 days. The relevant Army authorities are currently investigating the reasons behind this delay. It is not possible, within the time constraints, to determine the longest period that an individual has had to wait for a decision on a re-entry application within the RN and RAF.

Defence Act 1842

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many times the powers contained within the Defence Act 1842 have been used since May 1997.

Kevan Jones: The Defence Act 1842 includes various statutory powers. The Ministry of Defence does not record centrally each and every occasion that any one of these powers has been used whether before or after May 1997.

EU Battlegroups

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence to what exercises with European Union military formations UK armed forces are committed for the next 18-months; and in which exercises they have participated in the last 12-months.

Bob Ainsworth: There are no standing European Union military formations, and the European Union does not conduct military exercises apart from headquarters-level planning exercises.

Future Large Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what position the Government's delegation to the March OCCAR meeting took on adoption of the three month moratorium on a decision on the A400M programme; and what the reasons for that position were.

Quentin Davies: The UK supported the decision to enter a 'without commitment' standstill period. Its purpose is to enable the Partner Nations and Airbus Military to explore all possible options in more detail without prejudicing the rights of either party under the existing contract.
	This additional information will inform national and joint decisions in due course.

Territorial Army

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Territorial Army barracks are under review following the report of the Reserves Review.

Bob Ainsworth: The Volunteer estate, which currently consists of over 2,000 sites, is a key element of the reserve forces, not only providing unit locations and training facilities but also retaining the important military footprint across the UK and the associated ability to connect with the nation. The review confirmed the importance of the Volunteer estate but noted that much of it was old, expensive, underused and located to serve the population centres of the nineteenth century as opposed to those of the twenty-first century. To ensure that the reserves have an estate that is modern, provides value for money and is correctly located to match changes in the demographics and national infrastructure, the Review recommended that the Ministry of Defence conduct a detailed requirements based study. We will be forming a team to conduct this detailed work which will need to consider all of the estate. No decisions have been made.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 238W, on trades unions, what office facilities his Department provides for the exclusive use of each recognised trade union; and what the notional annual value of such provision is.

Kevan Jones: Representatives for each recognised trade union and staff association or federation are provided with equipped office space in an appropriate location, including facilities to work in accordance with that provided for other staff in the buildings on site.
	The notional annual value of such provision for these facilities is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Trade Unions

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 238W, on trade union, which trades unions his Department's agencies recognise.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence currently recognises the following trade unions and staff associations, which represent staff in a wide range of grades, trades and professions. This recognition applies across the Department which includes its Agencies:
	 Non-Industrial Trade Unions
	FDA
	Prospect
	PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union)
	 Industrial Trades Unions
	Unite (Amicus Section)
	Unite (Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) Section)
	GMB (General and Municipal Boilermakers)
	UCATT (Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians)
	 Staff Associations
	CPOA (Chief Police Officers Association)
	DPF (Defence Police Federation)
	ROA (Retired Officers Association)
	 Maritime Trade Unions
	Nautilus UK
	RMT (National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers)
	Medical Grades and Civilian Practitioners:
	BMA (British Medical Association)
	 Teaching Grades
	ATL (The Association of Teachers and Lecturers)
	NAHT (National Association of Head Teachers)
	NASUWT (The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers)
	NUT (National Union of Teachers)
	ASCL (Association of School and College Leaders
	 Locally Engaged Civilians Overseas
	 Germany
	Ver.di (Vereinigte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft)
	 Gibraltar
	Unite (TGWU Section)
	Unite (TGWU Section)-ACTSS (Association of Clerical Technical and Supervisory Staff)
	Prospect-GGCA (Gibraltar General and Clerical Association)
	Gibraltar Services Police Staff Association
	 Cyprus
	SEK (Federation of Government, Military and Civil Service Workers).
	PEO (Pan Cyprian Federation of Labour-Government/Military and Social Institute Servants).
	PASYDY (Pancyprian Public Servants' Trade Union).
	TURK-SEN (Turkish Cypriot Trade Union Federation)
	SBA (Sovereign Bases Abroad) Police Association.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the Government of Burma on the investigation of the rape and mutilation of a schoolgirl in Kachin state on 27 July 2008.

Bill Rammell: We have not raised this specific, tragic case with the Burmese authorities. However, through our embassy in Rangoon, and in the UN's Human Rights bodies, we continue to take every opportunity to press the regime to uphold international human rights norms and protect vulnerable groups, including women and ethnic minorities.
	On 21 November 2008, the UK helped secure a UN General Assembly resolution which expressed grave concern at the continued discrimination and hardships suffered by ethnic minority groups, and the broader human rights situation in Burma. We call on the regime to adhere to its international obligations and co-operate fully with the UN special rapporteur, Thomas Ojea Quintana, who last visited Burma from 3-7 August 2008.

Intelligence Services: Equality

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of  (a) field-based and  (b) office-based Secret Intelligence Service officers were of each (a) ethnicity, (b) religious faith and (c) sex in each year since 2001.

Gillian Merron: It is Government policy not to comment on intelligence matters, including information about Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) staff numbers.
	The Intelligence and Security Committee, has reported on matters relating to SIS's recruitment and staffing policies in its annual reports. Diversity issues relating to SIS were most recently covered in the 2004-05 annual report (paragraph 53, column 6510).

Iran: Bahai Faith

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Government of Iran on the treatment of members of the Baha'i faith in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We take every opportunity to raise our concerns about the treatment of the Iranian Baha'is, both in bilateral and EU meetings with the Iranian Government. We have repeatedly urged them to take steps to end the persecution of religious minorities. On 18 March 2009 the EU presidency issued a declaration expressing concern about the numerous human rights violations in Iran and urged them to comply with their human rights obligations. I issued a public statement on 16 February 2009, about the imminent trial of seven leading members of the Iranian Baha'is which was strongly supported by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, calling on the Iranian Government to reconsider the charges, ensure that any trial is fair and to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings.
	We will continue to urge the Iranian Government to take its international human rights obligations seriously including the right to freedom of religion and belief as described in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights—to which Iran is a state party.

Israel: Anniversaries

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what events held in  (a) the UK and  (b) Israel to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv he has been invited; what such invitations he has (i) accepted and (ii) declined; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not received any invitations to events commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv. However our ambassador to Tel Aviv has accepted invitations to commemorate the 100th anniversary.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Moroccan government on  (a) ending the movement of members of the Moroccan civilian population into the occupied Western Sahara and  (b) the application of article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Bill Rammell: We have not discussed the movement of population between Morocco and Western Sahara, or the application of article 49 of the fourth Geneva convention, and have no current plans to discuss either matter with the Moroccan Government.
	The Government sees the status of Western Sahara as undetermined and continues to believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute, providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. To this end the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Christopher Ross.

Yvonne Fletcher

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last had discussions with the Libyan Government on bringing to justice those responsible for the death of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the investigation into the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher when he met with the then Libyan Foreign Minister, Abdurrahman Shalgam on his visit to London in January 2008. I also raised the investigation into WPC Fletcher's murder with the Libyan Minister for Europe last month and again when I visited Libya in February this year. Officials also continue to raise the failure of Libya to allow Metropolitan Police to complete its investigations in Libya.
	Securing full Libyan co-operation with the Metropolitan Police Service investigation into this murder continues to be a key objective in our relations with Libya.
	In all our conversations with the Libyan Government on the investigation into the murder of WPC Fletcher, we make it clear that they made a commitment to cooperate fully with the Metropolitan Police Service's investigation. The Government will continue to demand cooperation from the Libyan authorities and insist that they allow the Metropolitan Police to return to Libya to continue their investigation.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 404W, on the economic situation, what estimate he has made of the carbon cost of the meeting of energy and oil ministers in London on 18 and 19 December 2008; and whether his Department took steps to offset such carbon expenditure.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has made no estimate of the carbon cost of the meeting of international energy and oil ministers in London on 18 and 19 December 2008. No specific steps were taken by the Department to offset this impact. I have no information on the extent to which participants may have taken steps themselves to offset the carbon impact of their attendance at the meeting.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of grant applications received by the Low Carbon Buildings Programme from the London Borough of Bexley have been successful in each year since the scheme began; and how much has been paid in such grants in each year.

Mike O'Brien: The number of grant applications received by the Low Carbon Building Programme from the London borough of Bexley which have been successful in each year since the scheme began; and how much has been paid in such grants in each year are as shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of grants offered  Grant amount (£)  Number of grants paid  Payment amount (£) 
			 2006-07 8 7,072.47 6 6,290.00 
			 2007-08 5 4,100.00 3 3,300.00 
			 2008-09 1 400.00 0 0.00 
			 2009-10 1 400.00 0 0.00 
			 Total 15 11,972.47 9 9,590.00 
		
	
	The Energy Saving Trust only hold data by local authority area for domestic grants and so non-domestic grants are not included in the data.
	However under Phase 2 of the scheme there has been one application from the London borough of Bexley which has also been successful in obtaining a grant of £64,000.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many grant applications have been received by the low carbon buildings programme in respect of  (a) schools,  (b) hospitals and  (c) other public buildings in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire in each year since the scheme began.

Mike O'Brien: The number of grant applications that have been received by the low carbon buildings programme in respect of  (a) schools,  (b) hospitals and  (c) other public buildings in (i) Hemel Hempstead and (ii) Hertfordshire in each year since the scheme began are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 
			   Communities 
			   Hertfordshire  Hemel Hempstead 
			  2006-07  Number of applications  Grant offered (£)  Number of applications  Grant offered (£) 
			 Schools 1 3,000.00 0 0 
			 Other public buildings 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2 
			  £ 
			Hemel Hempstead  Hertfordshire 
			 Schools 2007-08 12,054.17 99,681.32 
			  2008-09 0 106,725.66 
			 Hospitals 2007-08 0 0 
			  2008-09 0 0 
			 Other public buildings 2007-08 0 90,820.37 
			  2008-09 55,740.00 139,925.63 
			 Total  67,794.17 437,152.98

Nuclear Power: Finance

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what cost recovery will be applied to operators of nuclear plants in respect of the proportion of the public investment in new transmission links relating to distribution of nuclear generated electricity arising from the programme for uplifting national infrastructure set out at paragraph 3.31 of the government document New Industry, New Jobs, published on 20 April 2009.

Mike O'Brien: The costs for providing grid infrastructure for all forms of electricity generation, including nuclear are recovered from generators via National Grid's charging methodology at:
	http://www.nationalgrid.com/uk/Electricity/Charges/

Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to answer question 246697, tabled by the hon. Member for Wokingham on 12 January 2009, on attendance at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznan.

Joan Ruddock: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave today to his question 246697.

Renewable Energy

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of homes are supplied by electricity from renewable energy sources.

Mike O'Brien: In 2007, the UK generated 19,664 GWh of electricity from renewable sources. Sufficient for around 4.2 million homes, based on the average household electricity consumption of 4,670 KWh (just over 16 per cent. of UK homes).
	In reality households will receive their electricity from a mixture of fuel types and not all renewable electricity generated will be supplied to domestic households.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 16 March 2009,  Official Report, column 952W, on home information packs, how many notifications the Office of Fair Trading has received of penalty charge notices being issued in relation to home information pack duties; and in respect of which local authority areas.

Gareth Thomas: In general terms, and subject to transitional arrangements, under the provisions of the Housing Act 2004 estate agents have been required to commission a Home Information Pack (HIP) prior to marketing a property.
	A local authority can serve a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) on the estate agent if they fail to comply with these duties. The local authority is required to advise the OFT of any PCN it issues. However it is not required to notify the OFT of every infringement it detects or other types of enforcement action it has taken such as advice, verbal or written warnings etc.
	The OFT was notified of one PCN that had been issued, but this was subsequently withdrawn by the issuing authority.
	The OFT is aware that other enforcement action has been taken by local authorities in relation to duties under the HIPs regime but that did not result in PCNs being issued. This information will be held by individual services and has not been formally reported to the OFT.

Short Time Working

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent estimate he has made of the number of  (a) businesses that are operating short-time working practices and  (b) people on short-time working.

Patrick McFadden: The information is as follows:
	 (a) Data on businesses that are operating short-time working practices is not centrally collected because businesses do not have to inform Government of changes in their terms and conditions of employment.
	 (b) Estimates of the number of people on short-time working can be made from the Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey. In Quarter 4 (October to December) 2008 around 60 thousand UK employees are estimated to be on short-time working practices. This represents 0.2 per cent. of all UK employees.
	This estimate defines short-time working as the number of employees whose actual hours worked, when surveyed, were fewer than their usual hours worked due to economic causes.

Trading Funds

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the Trading Fund Assessment.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 30 April 2009
	 The findings of the Trading Funds Assessment were made public on the 21 April 2009 with the publication of the final report of the Operational Efficiency Programme:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/oep_final_report_210409_pu728.pdf

Banks: Finance

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many documents his Department received from  (a) Lloyds Banking Group and  (b) RBS as a result of their participation in the Asset Protection scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: In the course of negotiating participation in the Asset Protection scheme (APS) and in the associated due diligence and information gathering, some 5000 documents have been provided from participating banks as of 20 April.
	In completing the due diligence process and establishing the operation of the scheme we expect further documents from the banks.

Child Care Tax Credit

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding was allocated for the childcare element of the working tax credit in each year since 2003; and how much has been spent from that allocation in each such year.

Angela Eagle: The child care element is an integral part of tax credits. There is no separate funding allocation for the childcare element of working tax credits but information on the average amount of help awarded and the number of families benefiting from the child care element can be found in table 2.4 of the HMRC publications, "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards", for 2003-04 to 2006-07. These publications can be found on the HMRC website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-quarterly-stats.htm
	Figures for 2007-08 will be available in May 2009.
	Information on the total amount spent each year by HMRC on tax credits can be found in its annual departmental reports which are available on its website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/reports.htm

Coins: Forgery

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Royal Mint has made of the number of counterfeit one pound coins in circulation.

Ian Pearson: The most recent survey conducted by the Royal Mint found that its sample contained a £1 coin counterfeit rate of 2.58 per cent.

Departmental Bank Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, column 91W, on departmental bank services, what the  (a) purpose and  (b) monetary value is of each contract between his Department and each of the banks listed in the answer.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury has contracted with those banks for the provision of financial advice during the financial year 2008-09.
	Figures for the Treasury's spending in 2008-09 will be available in the department's resource accounts 2008-09 after the conclusion of the Comptroller and Auditor General's audit.

Excise Duties: Alcoholic Drinks

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue to the Exchequer from the two per cent. increase in alcohol duty in each of the next three years.

Angela Eagle: HM Revenue and Customs publishes estimates of the revenue effects of alcohol duty rate changes on its website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/table1-6.pdf

Mortgages

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information his Department holds on the amount of mortgage lending which has funded  (a) new build,  (b) mortgages for first-time buyers and  (c) high loan-to-value ratio mortgages in the last (i) six and (ii) 12 months.

Ian Pearson: The Council of Mortgage Lenders publishes data relating to the mortgage market, including number and value of loans to first-time buyers and average loan-to-value ratios, available at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/statistics
	These figures are published on a monthly basis.

Public Sector: Land

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what public sector land will be made available for development, as referred to in paragraph 5.78 of the Budget 2009 Red Book.

Angela Eagle: The Housing Green Paper 'Homes for the future: more affordable, more sustainable', published in July 2007, announced the Government's target to deliver 200,000 new homes on surplus public sector land by 2016. Government are on track to meet the target. The Surplus Public Sector Land programme, overseen by Communities and Local Government and managed by the Homes and Communities Agency, has been set up to identify where and when this land becomes available.
	Information on what surplus public sector land is available for development is available through two main sources:
	1. The Register of Surplus Public Sector Land, managed by the Homes and Communities Agency, provides a quarterly publication of sites that are owned by central government departments and their agencies. Currently over 700 sites, covering about 5,000 hectares of land, were listed in the most recent quarterly report published in March 2009. This report is available on the Homes and Communities Agency website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/Surplus_public_sector_land
	2. The National Land Use Database of Previously Developed Land (NLUD-PDL), completed annually by individual local authorities, records previously developed land that may be available for redevelopment within their area. In 2007, NLUD-PDL recorded an estimated 62,130 hectares of land, of which just over a quarter was owned by local authorities and other public bodies. The 2007 NLUD report can be found at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/945914.pdf

Social Security Benefits

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much  (a) the basic state pension,  (b) single pensioners' means tested benefit,  (c) child benefit for up to two children,  (d) incapacity benefit and  (e) jobseeker's allowance or income support for a person (i) under 25 and (ii) over 25 years old was in (A) nominal and (B) real terms in each year since 1983; and what the percentage change in each was from each year to the next.

Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information on benefit rates up to 2008-09 has been placed in the Library. This includes child benefit rates from 5 January 2009, as announced in the 2008 pre-Budget report. Real terms rates are presented in April 2008 prices.
	Benefit rates which came into effect on 6 April 2009 are shown in the following table. It is not possible to present the real terms rates in April 2009 prices at this time as the April 2009 Retail Price and ROSSI index figures will not be published until 19 May 2009.
	
		
			  Benefit  April 2009 rate (actual rate) (£) 
			 Basic State Pension (Single pensioner)(1,2) 95.25 
			 Basic State Pension (Couples aged 60 and over)(1,3) 152.30 
			 Pension Credit (single person aged 60 and over)(4) 130.00 
			 Pension Credit (couples aged 60 and over)(4) 198.45 
			 Incapacity Benefit(5) 89.80 
			 Income Support (single claimant aged 18 to 24)(6) 50.95 
			 Income Support (single claimant aged 25+)(6) 64.30 
			 Income Support (couple both aged 18+)(6) 100.95 
			 (1) The rates quoted are standard rates for those with full qualifying contributions records. (2) Man or woman under 80 on own insurance. 0.25 addition for over 80-year-olds. (3) This is the rate where the wife's state pension is based on the husband's contributions. Where it is based on her own contributions, the state pension will be twice that of a single pensioner if both individuals are entitled to 100 per cent. state pensions. 0.25 addition for over 80-year-olds. (4) For all pension ages. Excludes all premiums other than pensioner premium. (5) Long term IB rate for a single person aged 16+. (6) The rates quoted are standard rates. There are also additional payments for dependent child(ren), disability, caring responsibilities, etc.  Note: JSA rates are the same as those for income support.

Tax Havens

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual increase in revenue to the Exchequer which would otherwise have been foregone in tax avoidance as a result of the implementation in the UK of the G20 agreement on tax havens.

Stephen Timms: The actions agreed at the G20 London summit were focused on addressing tax evasion by increasing the exchange of information between tax authorities. Once the tax information exchange agreements called for by the G20 are in operation, HMRC will be better able to assess tax liability of UK residents who have income arising offshore. No such estimate has been made so far.

Winter Fuel Payments: North East

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount paid to pensioner households in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in winter fuel payments in 2008-09.

Rosie Winterton: Actual expenditure data are not yet available for 2008-09 and forecasts of benefit expenditure are not produced at constituency level. However, in 2007-08, expenditure on winter fuel payments in the parliamentary constituency of Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland was £3.5 million.
	 Notes:
	1. Winter fuel payments are paid to people aged 60 and over.
	2. Parliamentary constituencies and local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	 Source:
	Information directorate 100 per cent. data.

Fire Services: Taunton

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of maintaining the Regional Fire Control Centre in Taunton was in each month since April 2008.

Sadiq Khan: The cost of maintaining the regional Fire Control Centre in Taunton from April 2008 to December 2008 has been approximately £140,000 per month. We would expect that, up to final cut-over in the South West in October 2011, costs would remain at approximately the same level.

Mortgages: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homeowners in  (a) Hemel Hempstead and  (b) Hertfordshire took out mortgages in the last five years.

Iain Wright: Data on actual numbers of mortgage taken out are available from the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). However it is only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on this is on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/media/press/2218
	The CML data on mortgage lending are no longer freely available from their website. For detailed time series information members of the public can request to subscribe to CML to obtain access to a restricted website.

Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what guidance is given to  (a) local authorities and  (b) registered social landlords on reducing the numbers of properties illegally sublet by tenants;
	(2)  what incentives are provided for  (a) local authorities and  (b) registered social landlords to reduce the numbers of properties illegally sublet by tenants;
	(3)  what estimate has been made of the number of social homes which were illegally sublet in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department has not issued guidance to social landlords on unlawful sub-letting. Robust procedures to tackle unlawful sub-letting are a part of effective stock management. Successful possession action against unlawful sub-letters frees up stock and, therefore, enables social landlords to house more of those in greatest need.
	The Department do not collect data on the numbers of social homes unlawfully sub-let.

Rented Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average length of tenure for a tenant leaving a property in  (a) the registered social landlord sector and  (b) local authority housing was prior to departure in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Data on the average length of tenure for tenants leaving a property is not available.

Apprentices

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the application process is for an apprenticeship under the Government apprenticeship scheme for 16 to 18 year-olds.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are various routes by which young people may enter an Apprenticeship. Connexions services, and other agencies providing information, advice and guidance, refer young people to training providers and employers offering suitable Apprenticeship opportunities. Young people may also apply directly to training providers and employers. From the beginning of this year the national Apprenticeship on-line system for vacancy matching has been operating, providing a free service for employers and providers to advertise Apprenticeship vacancies, and allowing potential Apprentices to register and apply for vacancies. The National Apprenticeship Service, launched on 1( )April 2009, will provide an end-to-end service to promote and deliver Apprenticeships for employers and individuals, including young people.

Apprentices

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the role and responsibilities are of local colleges in delivery of the apprenticeship programme for 16 to 18 year-olds.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Further education colleges are important delivery partners in achieving our ambitions for 16 to 18-year-old Apprentices. Where a local college is contracted by the Learning and Skills Council to deliver the Apprenticeship programme they, along with other training providers, work with employers and their Apprentices to deliver the training both on the job and at the college. The college will ensure the young person receives the training, work experience and personal support required to achieve the Apprenticeship framework—the detail of which is determined by Sector Skills Councils or Standard Setting Bodies in conjunction with employers in their sector. Colleges may also be involved in delivering components of Apprenticeship frameworks on behalf of other training providers and employers.

Apprentices

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to publicise the apprenticeship programme for 16 to 18 year-olds in  (a) rural areas and  (b) Cheshire; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Local Connexions services and other information, advice and guidance agencies publicise the Apprenticeships programme across the whole country, covering both urban and rural areas, including Cheshire. Our new national Apprenticeship on-line system for vacancy matching provides access to Apprenticeship vacancies for all potential apprentices. The national advertising campaign, fronted by Sir Alan Sugar, ran successfully in February and March, generating over 4,000 employer leads and increasing visitors to the Apprenticeships website to 100,000 a week.
	The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill currently before Parliament will place a duty on the Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) to promote Apprenticeships to employers and apprentices, and we would expect rural areas to be covered by this commitment. We are also working with the Commission for Rural Communities to research particular issues around increasing the number of Apprenticeship places in rural areas.
	The NAS team for Cheshire are working with employers across the county to develop Apprenticeship opportunities, and work with Connexions and other agencies to ensure that young people have the information and support they need to access them.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the  (a) overall cost of introducing the Early Years Foundation Stage and  (b) cost of monitoring the 69 learning goals in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Beverley Hughes: The EYFS Framework was launched on 13 March 2007 and became a statutory requirement from September 2008. The cost of developing, designing and printing the original Early Years Foundation Stage statutory guidance pack for providers was £610,000. The cost of the information and communications activity surrounding the launch of the EYFS was £245,000 which included communications to raise awareness, launch events, leaflets to parents, surveys exercises and media activities.
	The Department funded Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) training and development in schools through the School's Standard Fund. The level of funding provided was £5 million in 2007-08 and £7.9 million in 2008-09.
	EYFS training and development in the private, voluntary and independent sector is funded through the General Sure Start Grant (GSSG). We topped up this funding during 2007-08 with an additional £7 million exclusively for the level 3 certificate in EYFS. At the same time we enabled greater flexibility of the Transformation Fund, which is designed to raise the level of professional qualifications in the early years workforce, to enable further EYFS training for the private, voluntary and independent sector. Because of the way we fund local authorities through these broad grants it is not possible to provide a breakdown of how much was spent specifically on EYFS training per se.
	The Department funded QCA a total of £485,000 in 2007-08 and £888,000 in 2008-09 to provide guidance and materials, such as the EYFSP handbook and video exemplifications to support practitioners to monitor each child's achievements against the learning goals in the EYFS profile. This funding also includes the range of activities and support that QCA provides to local authorities, including accredited training and to make sure practitioner judgements are moderated and that the data is secure. We also funded QCA a total of £290,000 in 2008-09 to process and manage applications for exemptions from the EYFS learning and development requirements.

Apprentices: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what funding his Department is providing for apprenticeships in Coventry in 2009-10.

Si�n Simon: Funding for 2009/10 has not yet been allocated to training providers and financial information of this type is not available at constituency level.
	Since 2001 we have invested 6.4 billion in the Apprenticeship programme and we will continue to build on this investment. We are increasing funding for Apprenticeships in England in 2009-10 to over 1 billion. In January my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a 140 million package to provide 35,000 extra Apprenticeship places in the coming year.